Feeding the Aquarium's 13,000 animals, which represent, 460 species takes a lot of research, preparation, and attention to detail.
A well-balanced and species-appropriate diet can lead to an animal having better physical health and fewer health issues – which is why we put so much effort into giving our animals the best possible diets and feeding them in a way that aligns with their natural history.
Food is held to restaurant-quality standards and prepared daily in two separate state-of-the-art commissaries. Each diet takes into account the animal’s natural diet and the diversity of food it consumes as well as its caloric needs.
Once prepared, diets are provided in a way that helps ensure an animal’s full health and vigor, both behaviorally and physically.
Once their food is prepared, Animal Care staff offer animals their diets in a way consistent with how species naturally forage or hunt in order to foster a natural feeding pattern.
Nutrition & Feeding In Action
Sea turtles in Tortuga Cay were all rescued from injuries or strandings and have been declared unable to survive the wild. Sea turtle species receive a varied diet including and squid for the carnivore species like the Kemp’s ridley nd veggies like carrots, beets, and lettuce for herbivores like the green sea turtle.
Our green sea turtles are also regularly provided with algae as a sustainable, nutrient-rich food that replicates their natural diet and allows them to exhibit a natural feeding behavior.
Animal Care staff gather algae from our Dolphin Bay exhibit on a regular basis and transport it to our Commissary. There, the algae is cleaned and mixed with gelatin to help hold it together. This special treat is then given to our green sea turtles to supplement both their diet and their environmental enrichment. Algae provides a food source that similar to the seagrass and other plants the sea turtles would eat in their natural habitat. When the algae is placed in their exhibit, green sea turtles Pickles, Squirt, and Crush are quick to gobble it up!
With this algae-supplemented diet, sea turtles not only have access to a new and enriching food source, but have the opportunity to exhibit species-specific behavior that helps keep them mentally and physically active.